The "power factor" of AC systems or components is the cosine of the angle by which the AC current leads or lags the applied AC excitation voltage. The physics of inductance and capacitance behavior...
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As a prerequisite to this Application Note, the reader is encouraged to examine Dataforth's Application Note AN112, Reference 2, which describes the amplitude characteristics and reviews the...
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System error budgets should be developed and analyzed as an integral part of system designs. System engineers must determine the necessary levels of accuracy for system elements such as field sensors,...
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Information that varies continuously as a function of time is analog information. Computers are digital devices and, therefore, must convert analog information to a digital format in order to work...
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Bridge circuits have been in use for well over 150 years. To date, the bridge is still the most economical circuit technique for accurately measuring resistance. The original bridge circuit topology...
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The most dominant application of bridge circuits is in the instrumentation arena. Within these applications, the strain gage as a resistive element sensitive to displacement has been used extensively...
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Product variation and defects undercut customer loyalty as well as company profits. Six Sigma is a rigorous, disciplined, data-driven methodology that was developed to enhance product quality and...
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In today's ongoing search for sources of alternative energy, clean, green, and renewable are top priorities. Using wind power to convert wind energy into electricity - achieved with wind turbines - is...
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While most signal conditioners amplify or attenuate your signals and provide you with a usable 0-10V or 4-20mA output, few manufacturers actually tell you about their signal conditioner's response...
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PID controllers are used in most automatic process control applications in industry. They can regulate flow, temperature, pressure, level, and many other industrial process variables. This Application...
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The Cohen-Coon tuning rules work well on virtually all self-regulating processes. These rules were originally designed to give a very fast response, but this results in loops with a very oscillatory...
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Since 1942, well over one hundred controller tuning methods have been developed, each trying to accomplish a certain objective or fill a specific niche. One of these methods is the Internal Model...
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The original Ziegler-Nichols tuning methods published in 1942 aimed for a super-fast speed of response at the expense of control loop stability. However, with a slight modification of their tuning...
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A surge tank is placed between two processing units (Figure 1) to absorb flow rate fluctuations coming from the upstream process so that the flow rate to the downstream process changes less rapidly....
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In today's ongoing search for sources of alternative energy, clean, green, and renewable are top priorities. Using wind power to produce electricity is a perfect fit.
Wind is air set in motion...
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For LDM485 or other RS-485 device at the extreme ends of the line: The need for termination depends on data rate, line length, cable electrical characteristics and environment, and if applicable, the...
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When the SCM5B37 thermocouple modules are used to measure temperature, the measured output voltage must often be converted back to temperature. This is readily done with the SCM5B37 series because...
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Use of the ground jumper arrangement on the SCMPB01 and SCMPB02 backpanels depends on the particular host analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system connected to the backpanels and SCM5B modules. This...
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Failure rate calculations for the SCM5B modules are derived from the MIL-HDBK-217E specification. The stress-analysis method is used at ground benign environment, 35°C temperature, and quality level...
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Read the drift specifications under the "Stability" heading on the appropriate spec sheet. Determine the overall gain of the module by dividing the output range by the input range.
1. Calculating...
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Many sensors used in industry exhibit a deviation from an ideal (linear) relationship between input and output. For example, a given change in temperature does not give rise to the same change in emf...
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Industrial equipment located in the "field" is exposed to electrical noise, power surges, and transient events such as static discharge or lightning strikes. One of the functions of the Dataforth line...
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Cable shielding is used primarily to minimize or eliminate capacitively coupled interference from electric fields. When properly implemented, it can also be used to minimize inductive coupling from...
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In today's dynamic industrial environments, electronic devices, signal and power wiring, and other electrical plant/process equipment often interact to create "noise" or electromagnetic interference...
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Linear variable displacement transducers (LVDTs) provide a method of measuring displacements with very high accuracy and infinite resolution. These type of transducers utilize a precision linear...
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When SCM7B37 thermocouple modules are used to measure temperature, the measured output voltage must often be converted back to temperature. This is readily done with the SCM7B37 series because Cold...
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Figures 1 through 4 are the result of performing a 100-run Monte Carlo analysis on the SCM7B filter circuitry in both the frequency and time domains.* In this type of analysis, all component values...
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Using the module data sheet or module top label, determine the input and output ranges of the module. Connect a precision voltage source, current source, frequency source, RTD simulator, resistance or...
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